You see them at airports, hotels, really anywhere there are travelers. The Travel Pro; that person who just seems to have it all together. They always stand out, at least they do to me.
While you are struggling to get everything into the bin at TSA, they’ve breezed through without a care in the world. As you are trying to force your bag into the overhead bin, they look as though they’ve been on the plane for an hour. When you are sorting through every last thing in your purse to find that confirmation number, they are well on their way to their room (and probably have a drink waiting!)
The travel pro is always the one who isn’t stressing out, no matter the situation. The rest of us want to be that person, or at least I know I always did. Actually, I still do
Travel Pro
I have never claimed to be a Travel Pro, but I have made a study of their habits in hopes of attaining that zen-like quality they always seem to have.
It started when I was still working for a small airline. I saw these folks all the time. They never seem harried, and rarely seem hurried. You never saw them running for the plane, and you never saw them get ruffled at delays.
As I began to watch them, I began to notice that they all seemed to have a few basic habits in common. When I put them into practice myself, I found a little bit of that zen they seem to carry with them. Over the years I have refined that list to a few simple habits. When I put them into practice, I began to feel like I could one day be one of those few enlightened souls.
Let me share what I have learned!
Habit One: Plan in Extra Time
My Dad used to insist that we get to the airport hours before we needed to. It made me crazy. One of my travel friends was chronically late, and it, well, made me crazy. There is, thankfully, a happy medium. The downside is that it varies from place to place, situation to situation.
A travel pro understands this and pays attention to peak travel times and is aware of how much time they need. It is easy when you travel a lot, you just learn this stuff. Thankfully, for the rest of us, there some easy tools to help figure it all out.
Most airports in the US will have a link to TSA wait times, or you can download the TSA app. That way you won’t be surprised by the 2 hour wait time to get through security. Your airline’s website – or better yet, their mobile app – will keep you informed of delays.
Understand what all needs to be done before you get to the gate. Checking bags or reprinting boarding passes can be time sinks. When possible, print your boarding pass at home, or better yet, download it to your smart phone. Utilize curbside bag check if the line looks shorter. If you are unable to do any of that ahead of time, know that you will need to get to the airport a bit earlier.
Connections and Events
If you are connecting to another flight, especially if you are switching to a different airline, check the connecting airport to gauge the distance between the gates. Forty five minutes might be plenty of time in one airport, but woefully short for another.
Additionally, think about when you are arriving. Planes, trains and automobiles can be late. If you absolutely need to be somewhere first thing in the morning give yourself an entire day to get there. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve listened to from people who have missed cruises, appointments and opportunities because they booked flights too close to the time they needed to be somewhere.
Habit Two: Pack Smartly
A travel pro knows that less is more when it comes to packing! Most people I know have a tendency to pack too much stuff. Think about your trip and pack for what you will actually need rather than just throwing things into your bag. For every item you put in your case or carry on ask if you really need it.
Think about the clothes you pack in terms of outfits. Everything top you pack should work with every bottom so you have more outfits and less clothes. Use accessories to dress up an outfit. For both men and women, a jacket will make even jeans a bit classier, for women a scarf can do the same thing.
Remember that you will need to lug, drag, pull or carry that suitcase wherever you are going. The heavier the bag the harder it will be. As someone who dragged a rolling bag halfway across Paris (or so it felt), I can tell you that the best rolling bag is still exhausting when it is weighed down.
Worse still, some budget airlines enforce rules that require you to lift your carry on into the overhead bin without assistance. And in this age of travel fees, over weight charges are less often waived.
And About Your Carry On
Every airline now restricts you to one suitcase and a “personal item.” That second item should contain anything you will need in flight or immediately after arrival. Everything else should go in your suitcase or checked bag.
That bag has to fit under the seat, and for every inch it takes up, you lose foot space. Packing that extra outfit or one more pair of shoes, or whatever it is you couldn’t fit into your suitcase just adds to the on board anxiety. The smaller and smarter your carry on is, the more room you have and the less onerous it is to lug along with your suitcase!
Warning: if you are checking a bag, remember to never check anything that you can’t do without for the next 48 hours – prescription medications, chargers for your electronic devices, presentation materials (if you are traveling on business). Always plan for the possibility that you may not have access to your checked items for an extended period of time – such as flight delays or lost luggage.
Habit Three: Information at Your Fingertips
We all walk around with these little hand-held computers, so make them work for you when you travel. Things happen – weather, mechanical issues, delays and cancellations. Information is your friend.
You should always program in the phone numbers for your airline’s customer service line, your hotel, and any other travel service you will be using (car rental, car hire, etc.). If you have frequent flier status, make sure you have that phone number and your member number as well.
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you will often have better luck using the customer service number to get help rather than having to wait in line for your turn with the stressed out gate agent.
Better idea – get an app that organizes it all for you, such as TripIt. This app will let you put as much information as you want into your itinerary, store all your traveler profile information (frequent flier numbers!), and your confirmation numbers all in one place.
Habit Four – Patience
Travel can be stressful and tedious. Getting upset doesn’t help anything. The plane won’t be fixed more quickly; the bed won’t magically make itself just because you are upset.
Not to mention it just makes your experience that much worse! Being the calm and pleasant person will also make folks more likely to want to help you. My dad had a great story about getting upgraded to business class. He simply commiserated with a gate agent right after the person ahead of him was a complete jerk. You may not get upgraded, but you will be appreciated!
And that leads me to:
Habit Five – Attitude
A travel pro gets that the cabin attendants, gate agents, valet parkers, hotel desk clerks and housekeeping staff are professionals. They treat these folks with respect. It is surprising what just being pleasant will do for you.
I don’t mean you have to put up with poor service, but you should treat all of these folks with the same respect you wish to receive in return. The same goes for wait staff, store clerks – really anyone you meet on your travels.
Above all, remember that this is supposed to be fun! You are going someplace wonderful, maybe someplace you’ve always wanted to go. Try to enjoy the journey as well as the destination!